The Draconic School of Technology
The Draconic School of Technology is the Arcadian domain ruled over by the Headmaster. Overview The Draconic School of Technology (DST) is a series of towering structures across a wide area. The region outside the school is arid wasteland with tall mountains along the horizon, forever distant yet visible nonetheless. This wasteland has claimed the lives of many hopeful escapees. The school itself consists of a number of towers and terraces, forums and fountains, and spires and statuaries, all made of beautifully crafted white marble and glass. A long railroad track snakes around the building in midair and a train ferries students and staff about the school's premises. Magic and technology work harmoniously alongside one another, and it'd be beautiful if it wasn't for the various paintings of The Headmaster leering down upon people as a constant reminder as to whom is the lord of this surreal university. The school itself is also built more like a castle or a fortress, with high stone walls, guard towers, and a gigantic main door composed of rare metals. Works of art within the school's halls may be inanimate works, machines, or hapless Fairest and Elemental changelings. Within this domain, time seems to proceed as normal, with 24 hour days and a day/night period. There are no seasons and very little rainfall occurs. However, in relation to the real world, time in this realm proceeds much slower. One year here may be several decades in the real world. The Courtyard Past the tall fortified doors and castle walls that encircle the school lies the main courtyard, sprawling outward before the entrance to the first tower section and around the tower complex. The courtyard is a lush desert oasis, with a wide variety of plants, both mundane and supernatural. Marble and basalt sculptures and arches line the pathway toward the tower. The Towers, Exterior Nine towers connect to the main central building. Each tower has a series of walkways that go between them at multiple points. Encircling and going through the towers is a floating train track, upon which runs a tram that is used to transport students, personnel, and various building materials. The central tower stands higher than the rest, it's top floor detailed with worked copper, bronze, and glass. Each of the outer towers are numbered, starting with the tower to the left of the main entry and circling clockwise, with tower 9 to the right of the main entry. Outer Tower Interior and Purposes The tower primary purposes are as follows: * Tower 1: Foundry; smithing workshops and classes; raw materials storage in the basement levels * Tower 2: Drafting and architecture classes; scrolls and blueprints storage/archive * Tower 3: Machinery, assembly lines, vehicles, and fuel/power research; fuel storage in basement levels * Tower 4: Weapons and armor research; armory; weaponsmithing and armorsmithing classes * Tower 5: Student dormitories; main library; common rooms and living space; non-instructor staff housing on lower levels * Tower 6: Clockwork workshops; volatile materials storage; alchemy, explosives, and chemical classes * Tower 7: General classrooms; basic engineering classes; freshman studies * Tower 8: Advanced metallurgy; machine testing areas; weapons training halls * Tower 9: Instructor quarters; doctoral research and labs; medical clinic Central Tower The central tower contains the primary meeting hall of the school. It contains the dining hall and kitchen on the ground level. Higher up, individual study rooms and specialist libraries are found and available for use with staff authorization. The restricted reading section is on the second-to-top floor. The Headmaster's office is in the penthouse level of the central tower. It is lavishly decorated in a Victorian style. Trophies and works of art are on display in the office. The Headmaster's private quarters is also on this level. He rarely leaves this top floor, however. The central tower's basement level holds a dungeon and a hall of doors that lead to various points in the Hedge as well as into the real world. Students who break the rules or otherwise transgress against the Headmaster and his staff will find themselves taken to the dungeon, never to be seen again. The Staff DST's non-instructor staff is comprised primarily of hobgoblins, Wisps, and non-student changelings. The latter are often Elementals, Ogres and Wizened. DST's instructor staff is taken from the brightest minds of the age that the Headmaster can acquire. He shares the knowledge he knows regarding machines and technology, then leaves them to plan their lessons and conduct classes on their own. Instructors are often Wizened, though a few Darkling Antiquarians also teach classes.